A Langley man has pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree murder in the slaying of his family members mid-way through his trial.
Kia Ebrahimian entered three guilty pleas on Monday, Oct. 3, according to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). His trial had already been underway for two weeks, after he initially attempted to plead not guilty.
Ebrahimian’s lawyer had admitted most of the facts of the case – that Ebrahimian was responsible for the deaths of his sibling, Befrin Ebrahimian, their mother, Tatiana Bazyar, and Bazyar’s common-law husband, Francesco Zangrilli.
At issue was whether Kia was a “rational actor, who was able to form the intent of murder,” Crown prosecutor Michael Fortino said on the opening day of the trial.
The murders appear to have been sparked by a conflict between Ebrahimian and Befrin, who was a transgender man who had completed gender reassignment surgery, according to Fortino.
Ebrahimian and his brother had been clashing since Ebrahimian had moved back into the house in the spring of 2020.
On June 13 of that year, the house in the 19600 block of Wakefield Drive caught fire.
Emergency responders and police investigators would later discover the bodies of the rest of the family. Fortino told the court that they had died of “sharp force injuries.”
An emergency call by Zangrilli was played on the first day of the trial, in which he suddenly called for help, a voice could be heard screaming in the background, and a fire alarm went off.
By the time officers arrived, the house was ablaze. Police forced their way in and managed to find Zangrilli, who died of his stab wounds. Bayzar and Befrin were not found until the fire was extinguished.
Ebrahimian had escaped the fire on a ladder. Knives found on him had DNA from his brother and step-father, the court heard.
READ MORE: Langley triple murder trial opens with playback of call to police
A sentencing hearing for Ebrahimian will be held in December.
Because he has pleaded guilty to murder, he will be sentenced automatically to life in prison. In cases of second-degree murder, the judge can set minimum parole eligibility at anywhere between 10 and 25 years, depending on the circumstances and severity of the case.
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